Abstract
This paper analyses the development of labour productivity in Austria between 1964 and 1980, based on new national account statistics, classified by 19 industries. Three possible causes of the productivity slowdown after 1973 are investigated: (i) changes in the structure of the economy; (ii) reduction of duration of working time; and (iii) retardation of output growth in the recession after 1974. It was found, that all three factors contributed to the slowdown in the growth of output per man-year.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Almon, C.: An International Network of Input-Output Models, IIASA. Laxenburg 1979.
Almon, C., et al.: 1985, Interindustry Forecasts of the American Economy. Lexington 1974.
Baily, M.N.: Productivity and the Services of Capital and Labour. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, No. 1, 1981, 1–50.
—: The Productivity Growth Slowdown by Industry. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, No. 2, 1982, 423–459.
Baumol, W.J.: Macroeconomics of Unbalanced Growth: The Anatomy of Urban Crisis. The American Economic Review, May 1967, 415–426.
Blattner, H.: Die Arbeitsproduktivität in der Schweiz 1960–1980: Entwicklung und Versuche der Erklärung. Die Volkswirtschaft No. 2, 1982, 51–59.
Bortkiewicz, L.: Zweck und Struktur einer Preisindexzahl. Nordisk Statistik Tidskrift, 1923.
Bródy, A.: On Measuring Growth. Acta Oeconomica, No. 1–2, 1980, 47–56.
Carlsson, B.: Technical Change and Productivity in Swedish Industry in the Post-War Period, Research Report No. 8. The Industrial Institute for Economic and Social Research, Stockholm 1980.
Denison, E.F.: Accounting for Slower Growth, the United States in the 70s. Brookings Institution, 1979.
—: The Interruption of Productivity Growth in the United States. The Economic Journal, No. 369, March 1983, 56–77.
ECE: Structure and Change in European Industry. Geneva 1977.
-: Economic Survey of Europe in 1981. New York 1982a.
-: Structural Changes and Analysis of Labour Productivity in the ECE Market Economies and Some Implications for Future Economic Growth, Note by the Secretariat. Geneva 1982b.
Fabricant, S.: Productivity in the Tertiary Sector. Acta Oeconomica8 (2–3), 1972, 207–219.
Felli, E.: Labour Productivity, Returns to Scale and Capital Accumulation in Italian Manufacturing Industry (1954–1978). Rivista di Politica Economica LXXI — 3rd Series. December 1981, 61–107.
Fuchs, V.: The Service Economy. New York 1968.
Giersch, H., andF. Wolter: Towards an Explanation of the Productivity Slowdown: An Acceleration-Deceleration Hypothesis. The Economic Journal, No. 369, March 1983, 35–55.
Grilliches, Z., andJ. Mairesse: Comparing Productivity Growth. European Economic Review, No. 1/2, 1983, 89–120.
Hahn, F., andI. Schmoranz: Schätzung des österreichischen Kapitalstocks nach Wirtschaftsbereichen. WIFO Montasberichte1, 1983, 40–52.
Norsworthy, J.R., M.J. Harper, andK. Kunze: The Slowdown in Productivity Growth: Analysis of Some Contributing Factors. Brooking Papers on Economic Activity, No. 2, 1979, 387–421.
Hof, B.: Produktivitätsdynamik International. Beiträge zur Wirtschafts- und Sozialpolitik No. 114, 3/1983.
Kaldor, N.: Causes of the Slow Rate of Growth of the United Kingdom. An Inaugural Lecture. Cambridge 1966.
-: Strategic Factors in Economic Development. New York 1967.
Lindbeck, A.: The Recent Slowdown of Productivity Growth. The Economic Journal (369), March 1983, 13–34.
Lundberg, E.: Productivity and Structural Change — A Policy Issue in Sweden. The Economic Journal, March 1972 (Supplement), 465–485.
McCombie, J.S.L.: What still remains of Kaldor's Laws? Economic Journal, March 1981, 206–216.
Machlup, F.: Structure and Structural Change: Weaselwords and Jargon. Zeitschrift für Nationalökonomie, 1958, 280–298.
Maddison, A.: Long Run Dynamics of Productivity Growth. Banca Nationale del Lavoro Quarterly Review, No. 128, March 1979, 3–43.
Mitter, P., andJ. Skolka: Entwicklung der Arbeitsproduktivität in Österreich 1964 bis 1977. WIFO Monatsberichte1, 1981, 19–31.
Nadiri, I.: Sectoral Productivity Slowdown. National Bureau for Economic Research, Working Paper No. 423, Cambridge, MA, 1980.
Nelson, R.D.: Research on Productivity Growth and Productivity Differences: Dead Ends and New Departures. Journal of Economic Literature, September 1981, 1029–1064.
Nordhaus, W.: The Recent Productivity Slowdown. Brookings Papers on Economic Acitvity, No. 3, 1972, 493–545.
OeSZA: Österreiches Volkseinkommen 1964–1977, Neuberechnung. Wien 1979.
-: Österreichs Volkseinkommen 1970–1980. Wien 1982.
Olson, M.: Stagflation and The Political Economy of the Decline in Productivity. The American Economic Review, May 1982, 143–154.
Skolka, J.: Unterschiedliches Produktivitätswachstum und Veränderungen der Wirtschaftsstruktur in Österreich. WIFO Monatsberichte, No. 8, 1977, 397–410.
Tinbergen, J.: Zur Theorie der langfristigen Wirtschaftsentwicklung. Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv 55, 1942, 511–549.
UNIDO: World Industry since 1960: Progress and Prospects. New York 1970.
Verdoorn, P.J.: Fattori che regolano lo sviluppo della produttivita del lavoro. L'Industria1, 1949, 3–10.
—: On an Empirical Law Governing the Productivity of Labor. Econometrica19 (2), 1951, 209–210.
Wenban-Smith, G.C.: A Study of the Movements of Productivity in Individual Industries in the United Kingdom 1968–1979. National Institute Economic Review, No. 97, August 1981, 57–66.
Wohlin, L.: Skogindustrins strukturomvandling och expansionsmöjliheter. Stockholm 1970.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mitter, P., Skolka, J. Labour Productivity in Austria between 1964 and 1980. Empirical Economics 9, 27–49 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01972175
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01972175